Our dog is having a really rough time post-surgery. We'd appreciate any help y'all can offer!
We have a very anxious 8 year old pit-cattle dog mix. A lump formed on his arm that we needed to remove (it was bleeding all the time and cancerous). They also had to do a skin graft as a part of it. But there have been some complications in his recovery. He was unable to lay still (even on so many meds), and some of the stitches came undone. The vet couldn't stitch it back together because of the tension on the skin graft, so we've shifted to open wound care. But this means keeping him in a crate whenever he's not eating or using the bathroom. The rough parts is that he's never spent time in a crate before this.
He's been fighting through his meds and barking a lot (like hours non stop) even after he's gotten water, food, and an attempt at the bathroom. We can't stay with him 24/7, and are worried that checking on him too much will reinforce the barking. But also, it feels wrong to do tough love (just letting him bark) for too long.
The other challenge is that he usually pees outside, but to limit his movement, we're trying to have him use the bathroom on pee pads on our deck. But it hasn't been working, so he's been peeing in the crate (we're trying to check often enough to make sure he isn't sitting in it too long).
Does anyone have any advice for how to help him settle and/or use the bathroom on the deck? It seems like there are no good options, and tbh were going a little crazy. Any help is appreciated!!!!
submitted by /u/tafeld
[link] [comments]